For an automatic Caesar salad upgrade, make this easy Caesar dressing recipe at home. The best part? Learning how to make Caesar dressing is as easy as learning the ingredients. Once you know the ingredients, all the magic happens in a food processor.
I’m a huge Caesar fan. Whether it’s a traditional Caesar or a salad that’s loaded with extra ingredients, Caesar dressing just makes everything better. It’s creamy, salty, and just the right amount of funky. While I do have a strong devotion to Newman’s Own creamy Caesar, there is something that’s just so rewarding about making it at home.
Ingredients for Caesar dressing:
You need just 7 ingredients:
- Garlic
- Anchovies
- Dijon mustard
- Egg yolks
- Lemon juice
- Finely grated Parmesan cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil
More traditional recipes may have you make a paste with garlic and anchovies and then whisk everything together manually. I prefer to toss everything in a food processor. I’m sure there’s merit to the more hands-on approach, but I love the ease of just chucking in a food processor and having Caesar dressing with a few whirrs of the machine.
For the Parmesan, you do want to make sure to use the small holes of your grater to create a powdery grated cheese. This will blend better into the dressing.
How to make Caesar dressing at home:
While you will utilize the food processor, you still want to add ingredients in batches to ensure everything becomes evenly minced and reduce any lumpiness!
First, start with the anchovy and garlic. This recipe uses 6 anchovy fillets, but if you want to reduce the anchovy flavor, you can cut down to 3–4 instead. Any leftover anchovies can be used to make pasta sauce! Blitz until the anchovies and garlic are very finely minced. I recommend scraping down the sides and blitzing a few more times to get an even mince.
Next, add in the egg yolks, Dijon, and lemon juice. Blitz until everything is smooth and creamy.
Finally, add the extra virgin olive oil and Parmesan. Blend until completely smooth and emulsified. Season with salt, and you’re done!
This Caesar dressing recipe is probably the easiest salad dressing that yields the most flavor. It clings to every lettuce lead and tastes fantastic with grilled or roasted chicken. No one would fault you for slathering this inside a grilled chicken Caesar wrap, either!
Easy Caesar Dressing
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 6 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, use the small holes of your box grater
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Mince the anchovies and garlic:
- Add the anchovy fillets and garlic to a food processor and pulse until minced.
Blend the eggs:
- Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard and blend until completely combined and smooth.
Finish the dressing:
- Add the extra virgin olive oil and Parmesan and blend until smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste and blitz one final time.
To serve:
- Transfer to a jar and refrigerate until needed. Serve with your favorite salad or wrap. Enjoy!
